Legislative Advocacy Toolkit
One of the most important things YOU can do is educate your legislators about home birth and midwifery care! Every single representative will vote on our licensure bill. Every single legislator holds the future of your birth options in their hands, and you have the opportunity to influence them! At this point in the legislative season, representatives are in their home town, which means they are in YOUR home town and meeting with them is much easier than going downtown Atlanta to the Capitol.
We have put together a comprehensive guide to meeting with your representative! They are easy to talk to and want to hear about what matters to you. Invite them to coffee, for a chat over zoom, or attend a community event they are hosting.
Step One: Find out who represents you
In the Georgia General Assembly, you have a representative in the House and a senator in the Senate. Enter your address here to find out what legislators represent you.
Step Two: Contact your representatives
After you enter your address above, their pictures will pop up. You want to reach out to BOTH your Representative and your State Senator. Click on their photos to get their email addresses. Send an email like this one:
Thank you for your diligent work in the Georgia General Assembly this year. Now that you are able to take a break from the Capitol proceedings, I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss an issue that is very important to me. Midwifery care has been essential to the health of my growing family as we chose to give birth out of the hospital. I would like to schedule a time to meet with you to discuss what you know about midwives and hear what concerns you may have about licensure for direct-entry midwives.
I appreciate your time and look forward to hearing back from you!
Make sure to include your phone number, but be open to meeting in person as that is always best. Zoom may also be an option, if your legislators prefer.
Step Three: Prepare for your meeting
The goal: to educate your Representative and Senator on midwifery and out-of-hospital birth.
The best preparation you need is your own life experience. You know a midwife or have benefitted from midwifery care- your personal story is the most important part.
Remember to ask your legislators:
What do you know about midwives?
What concerns, if any, do you have about licensing non-nurse, or direct-entry midwives?
Some key information we are focusing on:
What is a midwife and what is their scope of practice. (Some legislators are still learning that midwives are not doulas.)
We have prepared some resources for you to take with you. Take a moment to print these out or email them to your Representative and Senator. for discussion. If you need more information, please reach out. Your feedback is valuable to us as we develop these resources.
One Pager: Why Direct-Entry Midwives Need Licensure
One Pager: Types of Midwives and Doulas
One Pager: Georgia Home Birth Stats
If you or your legislator are real nerdy, try reading through and discussing the Journal of Perinatal Education’s recommendations for state policy-makers to improve perinatal health (hint: it includes expanding the number of birth centers and licensing direct-entry midwives to promote community based birth)
Someone from our legislative team is also happy to go with you! (Email us to request assistance at nacpmga@gmail.com)
Step Four: Tell us How it Went!
Simplly fill out this form to let us know who you spoke with, any concerns they shared, or how we can best follow-up. Thank you for reaching out to your legislators! It makes a large impact on birth options for now and the future!
Please consider donating towards our efforts.
Passing a licensure bill is expensive because we are up against big pro-physician lobbying groups. We estimate it will cost $100,000 to protect midwifery care in Georgia by the time our bill passes. We need as much support as we can get.